After I Fell
by UrsalaMinor808
Summary: A human fell, but they aren't quite what you'd expect. He keeps hidden in plain sight, for it's the only way he can survive... but even that can come at a price.
1. Chapter 1

It's been two and a half weeks since I've fallen down here. Don't get me wrong about the monsters, here. They're all great, but what about my family? My "friends?" Graves I'll never see again. Bullies I'll never get my revenge on.

Actually, it's probably better that I climbed that mountain. I can finally get that new start I've been begging for.

"Sans! I'm home!" Papyrus shouted, probably from the front door, "I've brought back some dinner!"

"I'm coming." I sighed, putting my mask over my face and pulling the collar of my sweater further up my neck.

I haven't eaten a proper meal in too long, and I probably won't for another while, but in the off-chance that this dope has brought home real food, I can but humbly accept.

I sat down at the table seated for three, the tall skeleton handing me a folded, paper bag.

I practically tore it open, disappointment forcing itself against my face. I pulled out a can of sea tea and some sort of burger made up of sequins and glue instead of meat and bread.

I let out a tired sigh, shoving the items into my inventory so that I may dispose of them without Papyrus looking.

"Something troubling you?" He watched me as I threw the wadded up paper bag into the trash can. _Slam dunk!_

"Just got a lot on my mind." I sighed, resting my head in my arms. So what? I just have to get used to this "food," and I'll one day be good to go.

He stayed silent for a few moments, probably trying to find a solution to some nonexistent problem, "Would you rather go to Grillby's?"

I lifted my head up, glaring at the creature of bones through my eyeholes.

"I know you don't want to go outside, but you're my brother and I just want to help." Still can't figure out what gave him that impression.

I looked down toward my sock-covered feet, curling my toes in a somewhat painful manner. I'll die of malnutrition, at this rate.

"Fine." I sighed, slipping out of the chair, "Let me grab my slippers."

* * *

I stepped outside, pulling my jacket closer to my body as I faced the biting cold of perpetual frost.

"Remind me to never do this again." I huffed under my breath, glaring at Papyrus.

"Well, if you like the food-"

"I'm not too hopeful of that." I sneered, my chin dipping downward in hopes that what little body heat was trapped behind my clothes would start warming my face.

"It's a nice day out." The tall skeleton watched the sky as we continued to walk. Of course he'd think it's nice. He doesn't have any nerves.

"I don't know." I laughed, "It feels like I'm being chilled to the bone."

He laughed with me, not at all annoyed by my great jokes.

We approached the building, the word "Grillby's" written in capital letters. We went inside, the warmth of the building greeting me at the door.

Papyrus walked ahead of me, being the first to sit down at the bar. Of course a followed, watching as a man, engulfed in flames, handed us some menus.

My eyes scanned over the items, a lot sounding familiar. Grilled cheese. Burgers. Fries.

"The hell is a popato chisp?" My eyebrows began to furrow.

"Chisps made from popatos." Papyrus watched me with concern.

"Not very helpful." I sighed, setting the menu down at watching the creature of fire, "Just get me something edible."

It watched me for a short moment before nodding its head in understanding.

Waiting for the creature to hurry up, I began to prop my head with my arm, my mittened fingers tapping against my mask.

"How much?" I reached into my pocket as the plate was set down in front of me. A burger, fries, and a bottle of ketchup.

He waved his hand, returning to his job.

I started with the ketchup, pouring some of the substance into the empty space of the plate. I picked up a few fries, being sure not to get any red on my mittens, and held my hand under my mask in an attempt to eat.

I looked up at the man, who was watching me, in awe. This wasn't cardboard, or glue, or glitter. It was real.

I let out a sigh of relief, lifting my mask up about two inches as I shoved the food into my mouth, smothering every bite in ketchup.

"Thanks." I laughed, pushing the plate forward.

The man nodded, taking the empty plate from me.

"I have... never seen anyone eat that fast... ever." Papyrus watched me, looking somewhat... impressed? It's hard to tell without the skin.

"Yeah. It's crazy what hunger can do to you." I pat my stomach, only realizing my mistake after the words were out.

"Maybe I'll get to see your magic, soon!" He spoke in a child-like excitement.

Food is different for monsters, at least that's what I've been told. They need it more for a magical sense than a survival.

"Maybe," I let out a strained laugh, sweat rolling down my forehead, "b-but I'd like to save that surprise for a special occasion."

"Wowie! I can't wait!" He practically cheered, leaving his seat. He was out of the restaurant in what felt like an instant.

I got out of my seat, putting my hand on the bar, "Hey, you're Grillby, right?" The flamed man nodded to me, "Could I get a couple bottles of ketchup to-go?" He held his hand to me, probably asking for money, "Just put it on my tab. I'll be here more often. The name's Sans."

I later walked back home, a bottle of ketchup in each pocket and a few more cradled in my arms.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh God, yes." I let a moan escape my throat as the waterfall poured over my head, myself waist-deep in the water. The water wasn't cold, yet of course it wasn't boiling either. I hadn't bathed since I've fallen (there are no showers in the Underground), and I was beginning to smell absolutely awful.

My head went under as I forced bubbles of air out of my lungs, eventually needing to come up for air. Once I was exposed to the air once more, I ran my fingers through my short hair, a satisfied grin appearing against my face.

I almost wasn't able to go out. I had to promise Papyrus that I would go to some chick named "Undyne," and ask her if she could train him. Guy's too likable, though. I can't go back on a promise like that.

Someone began to sing, attracting my attention. It's probably one of the most beautiful things I've heard, down here in the Underground.

I swam over to the rocks, climbing up and reaching for the towel I had brought to dry myself off. Once dry enough, I began to put my clothes back on... I really need to do some shopping. I smell like a garbage can.

The singing continued, drawing me closer with every note.

A monster sat alone in the room, singing to itself a tune unfamiliar to me.

She turned over her shoulder, beginning to face me as the music suddenly stopped, "I-I'm sorry." She began to stutter,"I'm not bothering you, am I?"

"Not at all." I laughed, waving my hands in front of me before taking notice of the glowing, blue flower beside her. It too began to sing, just a little quieter than the former, "I'm actually heading this way, and I am a fan of music." I stopped for a moment, extending my had to the woman, "The name's Sans."

"S...Siren." She stood up, not meeting eyes with me.

"More like 'Shyren,' if you ask me." I smiled, knowing well that my face won't show through my mask.

She let out a quiet laugh, showing her amusement.

"Well," I lowered my arm, "Wish I could stay longer, but I have to be somewhere." I nodded, starting my journey, "Have a nice day."

"Gaster." She spoke in a quiet tone, forcing me to stop, "You know him, don't you?"

"N...Not too well." I turned my head to face her, "I may not speak wingdings, but anyone can see his suspicion for me."

"He's going to save us all." She gave me a weak smile, tears brimming her eyes, "He'll help us break the barrier, despite not having our seven souls."

I've heard of this whole "seven souls," thing before. It's this that has given the monsters hope for the past millennia.

"If the souls are a definite means," I spoke in an uncomfortable manner, my stomach beginning to hold a twisting feeling, "then why waste so much time trying to find another way?"

"Dr. Gaster... believes there's hope for humans." Her head ducked down, "He wants to think that all their actions were out of defense, like a 'kill or be killed' kinda situation. Humans are very _determinate_ , after all. They only did what they did to survive, rather than out of the animosities of their hearts..." She looked back at me, eyes hopeful, "If... if you see him, could you tell him we're cheering him on?"

"Yeah." I sighed, continuing my tread with a somewhat satisfied look against my face, "I'll be sure to let him know."

* * *

I stopped walking as soon as I approached Undyne's house (at least that's what Pap's directions say this play is), eyes thoroughly examining the structure. I let out a slow sigh, knocking at the door and crossing my arms over my chest.

The door opened, a fish lady standing at the entranceway, "Hell-" She stopped before looking downward, "Do you have something to report?"

"Um... Not really." I gave her a hesitant laugh, rubbing a hand against the back of my head, "You see, my brother was wanting to join the Royal Guard, and-"

"Honestly, I was hoping you came over to report a human." She sighed, leaning against the doorway, arms folded across her torso, "I just really wanna get out of here, you know?"

I felt bile crawl up my throat, "W-well, that's not what I'm here for. You see-"

"Just one more soul, and we're all free." She looked up toward the sky, a plea in her otherwise grim expression.

I tapped my foot for a while, not moving any other part of my body, "I know of a good candidate for the Royal Guard?"

She looked back down at me, "I'm sorry, we're not taking any applications." She let out an exhausted sigh, "Is there anything else you would like?"

"No, Ma'am." I dropped my arms to the side as she gave me a 'have a good day' and shut the door in front of me.

I immediately turning around, making my way back home, but something stopped me. Hotland just a short walk away. Gaster's probably... Nah. I shouldn't bother him... though. Probably wouldn't be too pleased.

My attention immediately was directed to some sort of yellow, glowey thing. I approaching it with caution, listening to it's quiet hum. It nearly beckoned me as I reached for it. It's surface was incorporeal, yet it was still able to do something to me. I don't know how, but I felt some sort of calming tranquility, and I'm now filled with a determination.


	3. Chapter 3

"Don't ask now. I need money." I extending my hand toward Gaster, kinda expecting him to be a good guy and help a "brother" out.

He spoke his his usually language, making it unable for me to understand him.

"He says, 'if anything, you should be paying us.'" Papyrus translated.

"What if I promise to pay you back, once I get a job?" I raised my eyebrows to him, knowing well that he couldn't see my smug expression.

He let out a droned sigh, leaving the room. He eventually came back, a small bag in hand.

"Thanks." I laughed, taking the bag from him before leaving the house. He had given me a couple hundred gold, a lot more than I hopefully need.

I went to Grillby's first, hoping to catch a decent lunch as I payed off what I owed for the mass amount of ketchup. Next was the shop, where I was able to get some clothes. No one's complained about my current attire yet, so why would I not stick to what I'm used to. I bought two weeks worth of sweaters, sweatpants, and socks.

I saw that glowing, yellow thing, again, floating between the shop and the inn. I set one of my bags down, quickly reaching out to it in a failing attempt to catch it. As it slipped through my fingers I felt a sudden wave of dread. It feels as if something's about to happen, but I'm not too sure what.

I shrugged the feeling off, grabbing the bag I had set down as I began to make way for home.

I entered the house, setting my bags down as I was greeted by a wondrous scent. Of course I followed it, finding a tall man stirring a pot on the stovetop.

"Hey there, Gaster." I sighed, approaching the man with hands in my pockets.

He spoke in the same, not-so-understandable language, as per usual, pointing at the knife beside me and a cutting board on the counter opposite.

"Alright." I spoke in a low tone, grabbing the knife and walking over to the cutting board.

Everything after that felt unbelievably slow.

I fell over, the knife driving its way through my stomach.

A warm feeling forced its way up my throat, tasting almost metallic as the crimson dripped from my lips to the tiled floor.

I don't want to die... at least, not yet. I don't have a reason to die, yet.

A blue heart appeared in front of my eyes, quivering as if to mock me.

I reached up for it, and it shattered right between my fingers. My whole being felt like it was being meticulously taken apart, the unbearable pain beginning to subside.

What if I could do it over, again?

* * *

I woke up with a gasp, my back pressed against Snowed Inn. I quickly patted myself down. My head. My arms. My legs. My stomach. I'm still intact, and uninjured.

"Just lack of sleep, I suppose." I let out an unconfident laugh, denying my own death experience. I slowly stood up, bags in hand as I went home.

The residence was filled with a familiar smell, as if it were some kind of soup or stew. I cautiously followed it, setting my bags down by the couch.

"Gaster?" My voice held slight concern. I've seen this scene, already.

He said something impossible to understand, looking between me and the knife.

"Sure thing." I laughed, making way for the board first. On top of it were a few carrots, which I also grabbed onto.

I began walking to the knife, tripping over the same spot as I did last.

I stopped my momentum long before my body could register the fall, my weight being held by my left arm. I let out a sigh of relief, the corner of the cutting board only a few centimeters away from my right eye.

I looked around me, hoping to find what I'd tripped over. There was nothing.

I stood back up, picking up the broken carrots before setting everything down on the counter.

"This is impossible." I spoke in a hushed tone, a quiet laugh masking over my fear.

Faster watched me for a quiet moment, stepping away from the stovetop to open a drawer.

"You need something there, bub?" I gave the man a hesitant chuckle.

He approach me, handing me a book. The skeleton's face started to force chills down my spine, but I took the book, anyway.

"'How to speak Wingdings.'" I repeated the words on the cover, "Thanks?"

He said one last thing before turning of the stovetop and exiting the kitchen.

I pulled the step-stool out from under the sink and looked into the pot. Tomato soup (probably made with the ketchup I had stored). There was enough for one person.

I don't know much about cooking, but I'm pretty sure tomato soup doesn't require carrots.


	4. Chapter 4

"What's this?" I spoke in a low voice, a piece of paper falling from the book Gaster had given to me earlier. Looking over it, the whole message was written in wingdings. Great. Not only can I not understand him when he talks (and I know he can make sense of everything I say), but he has to up the difficulty.

"-nd remember, if you see a human in your area, please report to your local Royal Guard and find immediate shelter."

"That's enough T.V. for today." I reached for the remote, turning the television off as I began to translate the message.

"B-BUT IT WAS JUST GETTING TO THE GOOD PART!" Papyrus practically shouted, the corners on my lips beginning to turn downward.

"Papyrus?" I grit my teeth for a short moment before looking at the clock, "It's time for us to go to bed, anyways." I stood up, closing the book and shoving my pen into my jacket pocket, maying way for my own room.

"Are you not going to read me a story?" His voice sounded defeated, forcing my form to deflate.

"You're a big kid, right?" I questioned the skeleton, who began to look at his feet sheepishly.

"Master's usually home by now." His voice was the quietest I've ever heard from him, "He never forgot to read me a story, even when we were little."

I let out a sigh, slowly tapping my foot, "Alright. I'll read to ya tonight, but I can't guarantee another time."

His face lit up as he stood, quickly making way for his bedroom.

I better not regret this.

I sauntered to his bedroom, shutting the door behind me as soon as I was inside, "Alright, Bucko. What'll it be?"

"How about this!" He handed me a colorful book before plopping down into his race-car bed, tucking himself under the sheets and blankets.

"Goodnight Moon?" I chuckled, leaning my back against the wall closest to him, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, please!" He nodded his head eagerly to me.

My mittened fingers stroked the cover of the strangely well-kept book. My mother used to read me this as a very young child.

"In the great green room, there was a telephone And a red balloon," I started, a faint smile against my face as I watched the pictures of the book, "and a picture of the cow jumping over the moon. And there were three little bears sitting on chairs And two little kittens. And a pair of mittens. And a little toy house. And a young mouse." I bit my lower lip for a moment, my smile diminishing, "And a comb and a brush and a bowl full of mush And a quiet old lady who was whispering 'hush.'" Tears began to brim my eyes as I thought of my family, which I had ran away from what felt like generations ago, "Goodnight room. Goodnight moon. Goodnight cow jumping over the moon. Goodnight light." The words became more strained and I proceeded to force them out, "a-and the red balloon. Goodnight bears. G-goodnight chairs. Goodnight kittens and goodnight mittens." I felt the tears begin to stream down my face as my body fell to the ground.

"Sans?" Papyrus just watched my crumbling form.

"Sorry." I laughed, my trembling hands holding my head by my mask, "This is pathetic, isn't it?"

He let out a sigh, crawling out of his bed and sitting next to me, wrapping his arms around me in a platonic embrace, "Sometimes, it's alright to cry." He spoke those words as if he had heard it millions of times before, "Sometimes even the strongest could fall in the clutches of emotion."

I gave him a gross-sounding sniffle, the thoughts of my memories swirling in my mind.

"I can understand you not wanting to talk about it," He pulled me closer into his embrace, "but whenever you want to talk about it, I would be glad to listen."

"Pa-" I choked up for a moment, turning my head upward to the tall skeleton as I waited for my composure to return to me, "Y-you don't even know me all that well. F-f-for all you know, I could be a murderer."

"Well are you?"

"No, but-"

"You are my brother, and I would do anything for us to be happy together." He gave me a emotional-suppressive smile, helping my crying calm.

"Th-thanks." I croaked as I wiped my eyes. He began to pull away, but I managed to stop him as I held onto his hand, "C-could we just sit here like this for a little while longer? Please?"

He nodded his head, returning to his original position next to me. There was something about him that was soothing. Was it loyalty? Compassion? No. This warm feeling was something that the lonely give to the alone, in hopes that the alone don't suffer like the lonely. This was love, kindness, and sincerity, all mixed into its own concoction. It's a feeling that is able to make the receiver feel overjoyed in a short amount of time, without the necessity of exchanging words.

It's kinda funny, actually. I always wanted a brother.

* * *

 **Okay, yes I know this feels like a short chapter, but I kinda needed a chapter to start building up on their brotherly relationship. They are supposed to care about** **each other, after all.**


	5. Chapter 5

My eyes fluttered open, a positive pressure wrapped around me. I lifted my head up, to find Papyrus long asleep over me. The corners of my mouth pulled to a smile as I carefully released his hold.

"Getting too attached." I let out an airy laugh as I stood up, "I don't know much about the lifespan of a monster, bud, but I'm almost positive you'll outlive me. Your compassion doesn't deserve that heartache," I pulled my jacket closer to the center of my body, shoving my hands into my pockets as I watched the sleeping form, "but I guess I could make you pancakes or something, next time you need food." I began to opening the door, taking a few steps out before looking over my shoulder, "Sweet dreams, Bro. I'll be back later." And I left the room, quietly shutting the door behind me.

I walked outside, cold winds striking what little flesh I had exposed. The perfect wake up call if you ask me, so long as I don't get too chilled. Now that would make me as good as dead... That's no good. It's not humerus enough.

I looked down the street, a bundled up dinosaur wandering alone, a bright red wagon full of boxes in tow.

"You need some help?" I offered, extending my hand to them.

"N-no thank you." She directed her attention away from me, trying to pull the wagon a little harder. Trying.

"Alright." I laughed, walking beside her, "Suit yourself." I looked at the boxes, "So what's this all for?"

"S-school p-pro-project." She answered, still refusing to look at me.

"School project." I repeated her words, slowing my steps to look at the contents of the wagon, "Does this simple 'school project' require so many power cells?"

She let out an audible gulp.

"Smart girl, too." I laughed, "Plasma cells work a hell of a lot better than lithium-ion batteries." I watched as she began to writhe beneath her cold-weather clothes, "Although, when in the wrong hands, they can be quite dangerous."

"I-I can assure you, I-I-"

"I trust that you don't have malicious intent." I laughed, extending my arm to her, "Let me pull that cart for you."

"Th-thank you." She handed me the handle of the wagon.

"Anytime." I laughed, able to pull the cart just a little easier than her, "So, what's your name?"

"Alphys." She began to rub her hands together, glancing up at me now and then, "You?"

"Just call me Sans." I stumbled for a moment, quickly regaining my composure, "So what's all this really for?"

"I-I'm making a robot." She let out a hesitant laugh.

I watched over her for a moment, "Let me know if I'm wrong, but-"

"Aren't I too young for making world-breaking discoveries?" She finished my words, crossing her arms over her chest and watching the snow, "I-I get that a lot."

We walked a few steps in silence, "I was going to ask if I saw titanium in those boxes or an aluminum alloy."

"Oh..." She ducked her head for a moment, "I-it's actually nichrome."

"Ah, nichrome." I laughed, "With it's melting point of over two thousand degrees kelvin and oxidation resistance, but I've only seen it in resistance wire."

"Is it not a good call, then?"

I shrugged, "You're the inventor." We walked a while longer, just about to enter waterfall, "And no one's every too young to do anything."

"You are the first to say that." She laughed.

"I'm serious." I shot her a smile, mask still in the way, "Take it from me. I took an interest in Schrödinger's cat." I let out an airy laugh, rubbing the back of my neck in a fairly sheepish manner, "I actually almost tested it on the cat. My mom scolded me about that and asked me to properly dispose of my apparatus."

"You tried to kill your pet?" She began laughing up a storm.

"It probably would've lived." I looked around the area, the glowing, yellow glint appearing out of the corner of my eye.

"You alright?"

"Yeah." I sighed, approaching the light and swatting at it. It disappeared.

"I'm sorry." The echo flower went off, spooking me, "I'm so, so, very sorry."

"You alright?" Alphys asked me.

"D-did you not see that?" I motioned toward the empty space.

"See what?"

"Never mind." I sighed, holding my head as I continued to walk, "It was probably a illusion. Just lead the way."

* * *

"Thanks for helping me." Alphys took the wagon from me.

"Yeah." I wheezed, taking my jacket from the cart as she began to remove some of her supplies. I looked around, lava spewing everywhere. So this is Hotland? Can't say it's my favorite out of the whole underground.

"S-see you around?"

"Yeah." I laughed, giving her a backwards wave as I began to walk away, "Give me a call if you're ever feeling _b_ _onely_."

She snickered at my comment, "Bye."

I let out a sigh, holding my jacket close.

Gaster's lab wasn't too far away, and the Core i've been hearing a lot about was visible from where I stood.

I can't say I like, nor do I trust, him. He's always looked at me with suspicion and worry, but there's also something else. Admiration? Kinda hard to tell with him.

Someone spoke behind me, not so understandable with their language. I quickly turned around.

"G-Gaster?" I narrowed my eyes to him, clutching at my chest, "You nearly gave me a heart-attack!"

Something else was spoken.

"Ugh. Give me a second." I sighed, pulling the book I had been given out of the pocket of my jacket, "Are you asking why I'm here?" I glanced up at him, watching as he nodded, "I was helping a girl get home." I shrugged, "I'm not that awful of a soul."

He pulled out a pen, speaking slowly as he grabbed my arm.

"You trying to do something there, funny guy?"

He pulled down the sleeve of my sweater, scribbling something on my wrist and drawing a question mark into the air.

I glanced at my pages, "Have I seen this?" I asked. He gave me a nod.

I looked down at my exposed wrist, a familiar, four-pointed star.

"Y-yeah." I stammered, watching the shape, "I've been seeing this everywhere, lately. There's one in Snowdin, another after entering waterfall," My eyes drifted toward his lab, "And... one there."

His head followed the direction of my finger. He then shrugged, beginning to walk in the direction of our home.

I looked at the note he left, reading over my translations (pronunciation over the characters).

{You may not be able to understand,} I began reciting, my tongue fumbling around every couple of sounds, {but you posses an ability no monster is able to use. It is of SAVES and RESETS, a dangerous power for anyone to have. With help, I can show you how to properly use this power. I would like you to work with me. If you help me find a way to break the barrier, you will remain safe as well as be able to better understand your ability.}

Gaster looked down at me, probably waiting for an answer.

I flipped through the pages once again, before using the note as a bookmark, {Gladly.} I laughed, holding the book between me and the jacket.

At least he doesn't want me dead.


	6. Chapter 6

"Alright. So what's first?"

I sighed, stripping down to one layer of clothing, body sweating from all the heat. God I hate Hotland, already.

Gaster watched me for a moment, turning his attention to a coffee mug by his desk.

I folded my clothes, setting them down on a table before taking my mask off and placing it on top of the lazily-folded pile.

He set the mug down on a pedestal, demonstrating what he wanted me to do. His eyes began to glow as he raised his hand, the mug following.

"You want me to try that?" I let out a hesitant chuckle as the ceramic piece lowered, "Hate to break it to ya, but I don't know how."

He said one word.

I repeated the word, separating it into its individual sounds, "Concentrate?" He gave me a nod, "Alright, then." I sighed, holding my hand in front of me and closing my eyes.

I imagined the cup being lifted from its rest. Five minutes of utter silence went by until I cracked my eyes open. The mug hadn't moved, nor had Gaster, who proceeded to watch me with arms folded.

"Yeah. As I said, no bueno." I laughed, lowering my arm to my side.

He approached me, his boney hand now over my sternum.

"Need something, Bud?" I laughed, everything in me wanting to back away.

His hand glowed a color I had never seen before; one no human is capable of imagining. Energy surged through me, coursing through my every vain. It filled me with determination.

{Concentrate.} He repeated the one word, backing away.

I held my hands in front of my face, "What did you-" I jumped back as the flesh became engulfed with flames of blue. The didn't hurt.

I held my left far in front of me, bones falling from above and onto the ground. My hand quickly went to my side as soon as I heard a crashing sound.

Gaster began to pinch the space between his eye sockets, using his other hand to point at the mug. I guess everything else will be taught, come time.

I closed my eyes again, steadying my breath. This power, will I be able to use this for good? Or will it corrupt me? ... Of course it's for good! I couldn't hurt a single soul if I wanted to.

My eyes shot open as soon as I heard another crash. Gaster gave me an exhausted look, hand twitching in front of him. I looked downward, the mug shattered at my feet.

"Did I..." My words trailed off as I crouched down, hand hovering over the shards. I watched this time, the pieces of ceramic being lifted from the ground, "That's so cool!" I laughed, two of the shards becoming out of control, both grazing my right cheek at lightning speed.

I quickly reached to the abrasion, the ceramic falling back to the floor.

{How about you watch, next time.} The skeleton spoke with irritation, walking over to a cupboard, {We can't risk getting you hurt, yet.}

"Yeah." I sighed, watching my hand as its glow slowly faded, "Maybe we shouldn't, here. Wouldn't it have been better if we went into the forest and worked with the snow rather than risk your work?"

He gave me a shrug as he began to eat some food. His magic must be running low.

"Maybe I should do that, tonight." I gave him a hesitant laugh, shoving my hands into the pockets of my sweatpants.

{Perhaps that would be best.}

* * *

"In other news, the queen is still reported missing." The news woman began to rattle off.

"And the Ruins have been sealed." I sighed. As far as I can tell, the only entrance to the Underground is through that hole up Mount Ebott, and these monsters are hoping for a human. Without any more humans falling down, well I just have to be more aware of the company I surround myself with, "Welp," I sighed, forcing myself out of the couch, "I'm going out."

"It gets better, though." Papyrus shot me a pair of puppy dog eyes, forcing my expression to soften.

"I just have to do something." I gave him a chuckle, putting my hand on the door handle, "I'll be back before you go to bed, alright."

He just nodded at me.

I left the house, closing the door behind me before starting my walk to the forest. Snowdin was always quiet at this time, the magic lights dimming in order to simulate night time. I walked in silence, stopping once I reached a clearing.

I raised my hand in front of me, a pile of snow moving upwards and collecting around my arm. I watched as it spun clockwise. I raised my arm above my head, the snow firing above me like a cannon.

I didn't flinch. The power did exactly what I wanted. Well, most of the way. Of course, I moved the second I saw a glowing, blue bone began hurtling toward me.

"Why did you climb the mountain?" A voice began to echo amongst the trees.

"Why?" I looked around cautiously, standing back up, "I'm sorry. I don't know what you're-"

"No, silly human. I think you do know what I'm talking about." The voice sounded both inviting and fearful at the same time, something I never thought possible, "Was it foolishness. Or maybe fate... or maybe..." They stopped, still staying hidden, "Well, I guess only you know."

"I'm sorry." I scoffed, folding my arms over my chest, "I think you've got the wrong guy."

"Oh, you see, that's where you're wrong." They laughed, "You see, that ability you have, that power to RESET, I have it too."

I felt something catch in my throat, my stomach dropping.

"But... since you've fallen down Ebott..." Their words trailed off, "You're stronger than I am, and now you have magic. Granted, you can be dangerous with control... but you're a hazard without it." They stopped, humming slowly to a tune, "Well, I'll see you another time. When I'm stronger, of course, and I'll kill you over, and over, and over again." The forest roared with laughter.

"Why don't you show yourself, now!?" I grit my teeth, extending my arm to my side as the snow formed a familiar shape.

"Oh wow! Nice snowman!" They laughed once again, "Until next time."

And everything was filled with silence.

I turned to my snowman, patting down a lump, "Don't listen to his sarcasm. You are a great snowman."

"Thank you." A new voice went off in front of me, forcing me to fall on my rear.

"D-did I just create life?!" I began to freak out. That would technically make this pile of snow my kid, right? What the fuck do you do with a kid? Do you walk it? Do you feed it? What the hell do snowmen eat?!

I quickly stood back up, pulling my hood over my head and pressing my hands against my ears, "I-I can't take this responsibility." I bolted.

"But Father! Wait!" Was the last thing I heard the pile of snow say.


	7. Chapter 7

I began sifting through the kitchen, looking for something to eat. I can survive on Grillby's, alone... Or can I? Nah, I should have a backup plan, in case it closes. I crawled up the counter, digging through the cabinets. Gaster tends to hide energy bars (hell if I know where he gets them) in strange places.

"Why is there nothing?" I spoke through grit teeth, my feet sliding from under me.

I braced for impact, but nothing happened. I cracked my eyes open, my body surrounded by that unknown color of magic that set me down on my feet. Gaster stood at the entryway, arms folded over his chest.

"Thanks." I laughed, stretching my arms. The cabinet came down with my arms.

{Why?} The tall skeleton held his face in his hand, looking at me with some sort of "I regret my decision" look.

"Um..." I looked behind me, the plywood structure resting against the countertop, a door or two fallen onto the floor, "Sorry?"

He just held his hand up, fixing the mess I had made.

{Your magic is powerful.} He spoke slowly, knowing I don't quite understand him when he goes on a full-on rant, {Please use it responsibly.}

"Yeah, I kinda figured it was irrationally strong." I gave him a hesitant laugh, hiding my hands in my pocket, "Hey, Gast, have you ever... accidentally made something live with your magic?"

He watched me wide-eyed, taking a mental note of what I said, {Determination.} That was the one word he spoke before leaving, thinking I hadn't heard him.

My eyes wandered around the kitchen, my mind racing against the thought, "The hell's _that_ supposed to mean?" I rushed after him. I heard no door close... but I checked the whole house.

Nowhere. It's almost like he just vanished.

"Shit." I spoke in as quiet of a tone as I could muster, "Where the hell did you go?"

"Sans?" Papyrus stepped out of his bedroom, "What're you doing up?"

"Hey, Pap." I laughed, sheepishly rubbing the back of my head, "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, I've been u-" He stopped, the sound of something being destroyed catching us both off guard.

I broke out into a cold sweat, knowing who's at fault for this mistake, "God, please make it stop." I spoke in a hushed voice, hoping the skeleton didn't hear me.

"What was-"

"Probably nothing!" My words left my mouth faster than I realized as he gave me a suspicious look, "It's fine! Really, it is! Just go back to bed!" Before you kick me out of the house.

"Sans?" He proceeded to watch me, "Are you... hiding something?"

"Nope!"

"Sans."

"Not at all!"

He took a few steps forward before I got in his way.

"What're you doing, bro?" I laughed again, shoving my hands in my pockets, "It's still dark out. Go get some more rest."

"Sans, come on." He tried to push past me, "What if it's an animal?"

"Then we're being robbed," I gave him a hesitant chuckle, "and I don't think _anyone's_ dumb enough to do that with everyone home." I proceeded to watch him watch me, "Come on, get some rest. Your bro, Sans' got this." I held a confident pose.

He let out a slow sigh, "Alright. I'll see you again in the morning." He turned around, waving goodbye to me before returning to his room.

"Sweet dreams." I waved back at him, waiting for the door to shut.

Once it was closed, I bolted toward the main room. What did I break this time? T.V. was good. The couch was left in one piece, though I'm convinced there's no structure inside that thing. All the tables were standing upright.

Next was the kitchen, and that is when I found our problem.

A small, white dog stood on the countertop, having knocked down an assortment of items in its search for something.

"Please tell me I didn't create you." I sighed, stroking the canine's fur. It immediately rolled onto its back, exposing its stomach to me.

I laughed, picking the animal up and setting it on the ground.

I watched my hand, using all my focus to create a bone. It worked, one of the few times this accursed magic has actually participated with me.

The dog was easily excited by my creation, moving from side-to-side with energy surging through its body.

"Alright there, Bucko. Calm down." I chuckled, crouching down to hand the bone to the little monster.

Once the bone was in its mouth, I picked up the creature and escorted it to the front door.

"I'm sorry you have to leave like this." I sighed, setting it down on the front porch. It just lied there, gnawing at its bone as if the cold didn't matter, "Take care there, Bud." I pat its head before closing the door behind me.

I slid down to the floor, my back against the door as I watched the blue that surrounded my hand.

"How much longer until I get this under control." I laughed, face later losing its color as the TV flew into the ceiling, "Whelp... I'm boned."

Let's just say Gaster wasn't amused by this screwup, upon return.


	8. Chapter 8

"SANS! SOMEONE ON THE PHONE WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!" Papyrus shouted from the kitchen.

"Alright." I sighed, turning off the tv and getting up. My "brother" handed me the phone as soon as I entered the room, "Yo." It was a short response, but it was good enough.

"H-hey! It's Alphys." The nervous, female voice went off.

"Oh hey!" I laughed, rubbing the back of my head with my empty hand, "Long time no see!... How'd you get this number?"

"Y-you gave it to me."

"I did?"

"Yeah." She let out an irritated sigh, "I-I've been trying to text you, but you haven't picked up."

I watched the box mounted on the wall, a spiral cord connecting it to me, "Yeah. This is a landline. Sorry."

"Oh."

Silence...

"D-do you like anime?" She broke the tension between us.

"Never seen it." I sighed, leaning my back against the wall.

"I-I think you would like it, if you'd like to come over some time."

I held my free hand in front of me, "Um... that might end up being some time from now."

"Why would it?" She went quiet for a moment, "I-I-I'm not bothering you too much, a-am I?"

"No, no. Not at all." I let out a hesitant laugh, "I'm just... I..." I let out a sigh, my back sliding down the wall, "I'm sorry. I'm just learning how to use magic a little late and I don't want to end up destroying your house."

"I-I'm sure it's not that bad."

"You don't know the half of it." My head rolled up to the ceiling, "I tore the cabinets off the wall, earlier this week. I was stretching my arms. For all I know, I could sneeze and your whole house could crumble."

Another moment of silence.

"I might have something for that, if you'd like me to help." She offered, her words echoing in my head.

"And how do you propose you'll do that?"

"M-my science fair project a couple years ago was to study the development patterns of magic in children." She let out a hesitant laugh, "M-most children s-start of with weak magic and it grows with them, b-but some of them start strong and it gets stronger when they grow older." The sound of digging through draws could be heard through the line, "What helped me win that fair was a little thing I developed. I-it helps stabilize the early developments of magic. Th-the power behind it wears off at the same rate it takes for the wearer to learn."

"You actually made something like that?" I let out a chuckle, the microwave falling off the countertop with a bone sticking out of it, "I'll be at your place as soon as I can."

"By-" I hung up before she could finish the word, heading to the door.

"Where're you going?" Papyrus questioned me, seating himself onto the couch.

"Out." I sighed, pulling my jacket close, "I'll be back. I promise.

He gave me a nod before I left the building, closing the door behind me.

* * *

"A-alright." She sighed, stepping back, "Take a shot."

I watched my jacket in front of me, raising my hand. It followed, not flying out of control, this time. It went left, then right, then reached the ceiling, then the floor with the unbelievable speed I'd put it under, "Well," I laughed, then magic fizzling out as I directed my attention to the band around my bicep (over my sweater, of course. I'm not blowing my cover for magic control, "it's a pretty big step back to normalcy."

"I s-still don't understand." She laughed, tapping her pen against her clipboard, "Magic has n-never manifested in someone older than ten."

"Well then, I guess I'm a special case." I chuckled, picking up my jacket and holding it close.

"Perhaps so." Her eyes widened only slightly, a friendly smile against her face, "Y-you wanna come inside and w-watch some anime?"

"Gladly." I laughed, following her into her lovely abode.

It had been a couple of hours until I realized I had to go home. I said my goodbyes, left the house, and started my journey.

I must've been really exhausted by then. As far as my memory goes, it was one minute I was in the middle of Hotland, and then the next I was at my doorstep. I guess this is a mystery to solve another day.


	9. Chapter 9

After a week of no magical mishaps (no coincidence, there), Gaster finally let me into the lab... Damn. He treats me like a pet.

"What's next, Wingding." I let out a chuckle, pulling my jacket and mask off.

{Please do not refer to me as that.} He sneered as best a skeleton could, his attention going elsewhere.

"Fine. Sorry." I sat down in the middle of the floor, boredom now beginning to take over.

He just continued to work on something, not even bothering with me. It was like I wasn't there.

I held my hand up, spinning an empty beaker around.

{Sans?}

My back straightened, the beaker falling as soon as my magic cut out.

He sighed, stopping it before it hit the ground and returning it to were I found it.

"You need something?" I strained a laugh.

{Never mind.}

 _If you got somethin ta say, just say it._ A cruel smile tugged at my lips as I returned to the beaker's entertainment.

He used his own magic to slam it back down on the table.

"If you're not going to talk to me, the least you could do is let me have some form of entertainment." I lied down on the floor, summoning a blue bone and twirling that above me, "What made you hate me so much, anyways? What do I have to do? Load my last save? When did I last save?! Do I have to learn how to fucking restart?! Seriously! What the hell does it take to-" I stopped, taking notice of the look the man had given me. Remorse. Regret. Shame. Repentance... Fear. Did he... not want me to reset? If it's at all the same as loading, he wouldn't even remember. Right?

He stood up, shuffling through the drawers of his desk. He pulled out a black box, looking down at it with... sadness (?)... before turning to face me.

{Every human that falls here meets the same fate.} He approached me, exhaustion apparent in his voice, {It's been the same since I was still a child, after the first human fell.}

"The first human?" My eyebrows furrowed, "The first soul?"

{No. Chara was not the first.} He pulled out a string of beads, a cross at the end. A rosary? {The first soul was another child, with ribbons in her hair. She never killed, but she held close to a toy knife.} He stopped for a moment, {She climbed Ebott because she wanted to prove she wasn't scared. Though I don't remember her,} He pulled out a worn notebook, blood staining {she was the reason I started researching this. We created this box, together. It's the only thing that doesn't reset.}

"You gotta be really intelligent to make something like that." I laughed, flipping through the pages.

{Guilty as charged.}

I reread a few sentences, the words almost echoing in my head.

"I'm sorry, Aster." It read in a childish font, bloody spots covering the page, "This is where this timeline ends. You don't remember me anymore, and that's really sad to think of, but I've accepted my fate. I can't escape the underground. I can't kill. It's better for you not to remember, but don't make be the reason you don't help the next. I'm sor" It ends there, a pen line stretched across.

"Aster?" I looked up at him.

{That used to be who I was.} He sighed, digging through the rest of the box.

"Aster's a legitimate font with actual letters." My eyes narrowed to the man, "So why are you in the dingbats family?"

{It explains in there.} He spoke in a regretful tone, {Don't read too far into it.} And that was it. He stood up, leaving me with the box.

"Well maybe I will, out of spite." I laughed, turning to the next page.

"Entry 1: Aster told me to write in this." The writing was tidy, as if done by someone just a little older, "There's no way he found me, just for this sake... but he says he has his reasons. His notes. I'm not allowed to touch his notes, yet. He says I have to prove something to him."

"Entry 2: He said I can write in this any time I wish, and I was kinda hoping I didn't have to. The blood staining the binding is unnerving, but I'm brave. Something happened; something I can't explain. I saw something that I wish I hadn't... I saw Aster turn to dust. It was an accident, of course... but the strange thing was I somehow went back in time. I was able to save him."

"Load." I spoke in a hushed tone, skimming through other entries of similar caliber.

"Entry 14: I'm sorry. I had to. I didn't mean to. I... killed everyone... but it wasn't me. I... can't explain it, but... I'm sorry."

"Entry 20: I can't say their name. They'll take over. I don't want to go back. I can't do that again..."

"Entry 24: I've given up."

"Inconclusive." This one was written in perfect type font, "The timeline continued. They lost their will."

I flipped the page.

"I was just given this." The page held permanent tear stains, the paper wanting to fold in on itself over the marks, "Aster doesn't even remember me. He doesn't remember the many times I've killed him. I've killed him, and when I told him, crying in his lab coat, he said I was forgiven... I want to tell him the name of the voices... but I'm scared to. They threaten me with their strength. It said if I don't kill, it'll take over and make me watch. I just want one more happy ending before I'm forced to relive this hell." There is then a doodle in red pen. It looked like a human, eyes narrow and filled in, an evil grin connecting its rosy cheeks, "Chara" There's nothing after that, except scribbles the appeared to be more from a convulsion than anything else.

"Gaster left this with me before walking away." This must be when he got the name change, "It appears nearly impossible to understand his words, but he watches over me as if we had met before. We haven't." The last to words are scratched out, a line drawing to a space in the margins, "We have. He doesn't remember."

I felt a lump in my throat, my eyes glazing over as I read and reread the next for what felt like hours.

"I too have had experience with this demon. They talk to me, telling my threats. How they'll kill me. How they'll watch me suffer. How they too have my power, but I am the only thing preventing its use. This thing does scare me, and I can't get them to back off... but when they have no threats, they talk about their 'brother.' It calls him Asriel..." There's some talk about this Asriel character before it goes to a new entry, "Gaster, if this thing takes over, I want you to kill me."

A joyful humming sound went off, forcing me to jump. I looked around the room. Nothing.

I went to the box, pulling out a dark blue pen and turning the pages. There were only a few left empty.

"I too was handed this book." I wrote as if I were just talking to someone else, "This 'demon' that must never be named is not a joke, from what I can tell. I don't know, though. I haven't experience what they can do, but they talked to me one. It was in the forest. They taunted me, threatening my life, then went silent. They said that I'm 'stronger than them,' but what happens if it gets stronger?"

"Then I'll kill you." The voice laughed, "In the meantime, I'm just waiting for you to screw yourself over."

I dropped the book, feeling my hand spasm before I was able to regain control.

{What's the matter?} Gaster looked over to me, the colorful glint of his magic showing through his eye-socket.

I stared at him for a moment, "Everything." I sighed, picking the book up and putting it in the box, "Everything is matter, except for energy." I couldn't hold back my laughter after that.

He let out a groan before returning to whatever.

I need to keep this under wraps... at least until it gets out of control.

"Good luck with that." The voice laughed before eventually going radio quiet.

* * *

 **Here's to those that thought chapter 6 was Flowey!**


	10. Chapter 10

"What're you even doing with your life?"

"Please. Shut up!" I groaned, face covered by my pillow.

The freaking demon in my head wouldn't (probably couldn't) shut up.

"Ah, but you see, you're stuck down here." They laughed, "Unless, of course, you gain a little LOVE."

I sat up, running my fingers through my short hair.

"C'mon. Just a little exp won't hurt."

I gripped tight to my hair, pulling my head back and slamming it against the wall.

"Ouch..." They spoke in a bored manner, sarcasm heavy in their voice, "Why... oh why... would you do that."

"Can you please be quiet?!" I shouted, holding my aching head.

"And why should I?" They laughed, "I'm in _your_ head. You can't hurt me."

I immediately slid out of my bed, leaving my room, "Papyrus?!" I shouted, maneuvering down the hallway, "Where's the generator?!"

"You think that'll help you?" The demon scoffed at me, "You really are hopeless."

"It's in the basement!" Pap answered me, sounding like he was in the kitchen.

I continued down the hall, approaching a trapdoor on the floor.

"Really. What you're doing could kill you. Then you'll LOAD." They stopped for a moment, "Really though, I'd be fine with that. The more you use my power, the easier it'll be for me to take control."

"Oh, really?" I scoffed, lifting the door and descending the ladder.

"Yeah, but with you..." Their words trailed off, "... normally, I'm able to talk to you humans immediatly after they fall, but... you... your DETERMINATION is a lot stronger than my own. How old exactly are you?"

"Old enough where if you were a physical being, I'd be arrested for child abuse." I sneered, grabbing some jumper cables off of a shelf.

"Oh, see how scared I am." They laughed before their voice went cold, "Actually, from what I can tell, it'd take a few resets before you'll be able to see me."

"Please shut up."

"C'mon, you know you can't get rid of me... Eventually I'll take over and rip everyone you know and love into little, bloody pieces."

I held the claps in front of me, the other end connected to the generator. I sat down on the floor, rolling up my pant legs.

"And you think a little 'shock-therapy's' gonna work?" The room sounded as if it howled in laughter, "Oh, brother! You. Are. A masochist!"

I tapped the clamps against my exposed skin, my teeth clenching at the shock.

"Oh, GOD! THAT HUR-" They screeched, stopping their words before I could hear the end, "I mean, I can't even feel a thing." They wheezed, behaving as if they needed air.

"Well, that's a _shocking_ discovery." I let out a hesitant laugh, hands beginning to shake.

"Don't you fucking da-" They threatened, unable to continue as we received another wave of electricity.

"GOD, DAMMIT!" I shouted, throwing the clamps on the floor and my muscles convulsed.

"W-why?" They groaned, breath short, "What do you gain from this?"

"Can you be quiet, now?"

"Never." They hissed.

I clenched my teeth as I reached for the clamps once again.

"You wouldn't." They laughed, "You'll kill yourself, and then we'll reset, and I'll just be one step closer to-" Another scream, but I couldn't tell who it came from. Was it the demon, or me? I guess I'll never know.

* * *

I woke up in my own bed, body in a cold sweat. Did I LOAD? No, that's not it. There's no checkpoint here, last I checked.

Gaster stood above me, arms folded over his chest and a not-so-pleased expression on his face.

{What went through your mind.} Yup, he's mad.

I broke the eye contact between us, watching the small pile of clothing at the corner of my room.

{You could've killed yourself.}

"Yeah, and I would've LOADED." I gave out a hesitant laugh, waiting for the voice.

{And when was the last time you ever SAVED?}

"That," I paused for a moment, trying to remember, "is a good question."

{You really are an interesting person.} He sighed, probably thinking I wasn't listening.

"That demon-" I started, sitting up.

"Oh, I'm more than just a demon." They let out a quiet chuckle.

"Shut up." I sneered, still looking the skeleton in the eye sockets, "That demon that can posses any human that comes down here, it-"

{That's not in your head, is it?} His expression glazed over with fear. He must've seen this monstrosity countless times.

"It can't handle electricity." I looked down at my legs, the flesh barely blistered.

{And, from what I can tell, neither can humans.}

"Nah, man." I laughed, forcing myself out of the bed, "I'll SAVE, next time I decide that's a conclusion, but I might be able to get it in line." I let out a sigh, stretching out my arms, "At least enough where I can focus on everyday things."

{And how do you propose we do that?}

"Take me to your lab, next time." I looked him in the eyes, voice growing cold and expressionless, "I'm going to make myself a taser."

Chara's about to be set straight.


	11. Chapter 11

{You're going to kill yourself.}

"I'll save before I do anything." I sighed, setting my device on the table and turning to face the door and walking, placing my mask over my face before I end up getting myself into trouble.

"You have nothing to gain from this." The demon spoke in a bored tone as I stepped out of the lab, making way for the checkpoint, "Hell, I doubt you'll go through with this for long."

"You don't know me." I huffed, swatting at the glowing yellow before returning to the lab.

"Oh, I think I know more about you than you know about yourself."

"Ah, but you're forgetting." I laughed, folding my arms over my chest as the lab door opened once again, "It's just as you said; I'm a lot more determined than you."

"Very much so," They let out a dark chuckle, making sure I was aware of them swimming around my subconscious, "but such DETERMINATION could easily be whittled down. Even if this works, and even if you do get me to stop, you'll give up sooner or later. I won't even have to do anything. You'll become a husk! A shell of someone who once lived."

I just bit my lower lip, grabbing onto the device and throwing my mask to the ground. It shattered on impact, shards flying in all directions.

"Oh, giving me the silent treatment now, aren't you?"

"Please just be quiet." I sighed, sticking little suction cups against my body.

{Right this way.} Gaster motioned to a door. It led to a closed off room, walls of concrete and a window of bulletproof, one-way glass at the west.

He shut the door behind me.

"Well, here we are." They laughed.

"I'm going to give you the opportunity to give up, now." I sighed, holding the remote in my left.

"Lemme think about that." They mused, "How about no?"

I turned the dial to the lowest setting, pressing down on the button.

"Ach!" They let out a quiet yelp. That didn't hurt them enough.

"C'mon, mate. In no way do I wanna zap the ever living hell out of you."

"But you're prepared to." A dark chuckle filled the room, "That's why you SAVED, isn't i-" Another shock, powerful enough to make myself flinch. They screeched, forcing a smile to my face. This is a setting we can spend a little time on.

"I SAVED incase something happens on the outside." I laughed, seating myself in the center of the room, "I'm not too concerned in this regard."

"What's the point?" The laughter continued from the creatine, "It doesn't matter if it's be my hands or not. Humans tend to live about a decade longer than monsters." They stopped for a moment, "Except Mother and Father... and _them._ "

"Them?" I set the remote down next to me, "Who's them?"

"Oh, like I'd tell you." Another zap.

"Listen, Kiddo, I have all the time in the world. I don't care if I end up dedicating my entire life to controlling you."

"I think you do."

"Damn." I chuckled, cranking the power up one more level before letting my finger hover over the big, red button, "It really sounds like you're asking to have a bad time."

"Oh, this'll stop eventually."

"Alright." I sighed, "Who's this 'them?' How many?"

"Just two." A quiet giggle, "Distant Cousins, in fact. Didn't know each other until the younger was abandoned."

"I'm gonna need more information than that." I laughed, lying down on the ground as I put the remote on my stomach, "Do I know them?"

"I'm sorry. There's no more information available for the likes of you."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I give you the impression that you had a choice in this." I held my sides, feeling as if I were being torn apart through my laughter, "That wasn't even a hard question. I think you'd like the results more if you'd just answer me."

"Um... How about no?"

Another jolt, this one a lot more painful.

"Aster!" It hissed, speaking through grit teeth.

"What does Gaster have to do with this?"

"I said... Aster... you idiot..." It wheezed, "Maybe you should ask the royal scientist about what happened to him." They gave me a low chuckle, "Ask him how he got that crack at the right side of his skull, too."

"Why would I ask him if I have you to answer everything?" I laughed, standing back up. I need to keep moving.

"Well, that's because I have a tight lid on everything I say." They lacked the confidence that their words once oozed, "You're not going to hear a single thing I don't want you to hear."

"Well then, I'm going to have to try harder." I clicked my tongue, teeth clenching in frustration as I paced the room, "Now, who exactly are you... or perhaps _were_ you."

"You tell me." I could feel them give me a shrug, "You know all you need to know of me."

"Yeah, yeah. First human to fall. Very fucking poetic, Kid, but I want to know _everything."_

"You could get more about everything from Wingding." They laughed.

"Nah. I think I'll ask him later. Tell me everything, now."

"You don't scare m-"

I fell to my knees, the shock forcing my muscles to contract.

"God DAMN, that burns!" They spoke in seething anger.

"Then how about you start talking."

"NEVER!" They hissed.

I felt my jaw clench, completely against my will as the remote was forced away from my hand.

I lunged forward, quickly turning up on the dial and hammering on the button.

I remember the remote shattering, and my vision immediately going black.

 _ **~LOAD~**_

I awoke at my saving point, my head beginning to swim with thoughts of trail one.

"God, damn." I laughed, standing up and brushing myself off, "What? You not gonna greet me with a 'good morning?'"

No answer.

"Did I just learn how to make a demon unconscious?" I folded my arms over my torso, walking toward the laboratory, "Or are you being considerate enough to give me some quiet? You're giving me time to do something, aren't ya?" I allowed a chuckle to escape me, my eyes closing for a short moment, "Do you really think you're in control? Manipulation's not going to work on me."

Silence.

"Well," I spoke in a low growl as the lab doors opened, "two can play at that game."

{Are you alright?} Gaster watched as I trudged to the table.

"Peachy." I huffed, taking my mask off. I looked down at it, eyes following every curve, hole, and divot, "I... just broke this." I stopped walking, turning the plaster structure, "No... Wait." I looked up at Gaster, the skeleton watching me.

{Is something the matter?}

"How..." I bit my tongue for a moment, all focus directed toward the crack over his right eye, "Never mind." I cannot give into the demon.

I took my notebook and pen and began to write.

"Gast?" I lifted my head up only a little, the question still hanging on my tongue.

He just watched me, waiting for whatever I had to say.

"Who... was Aster?"

He stiffened for a moment, the name catching him off guard.

{He is a sibling of mine. Why do you ask?} He held his hands at his waist, making himself appear bigger.

"They... mentioned them and told me to ask you." My words came out hesitant, like I knew whether or not I wanted the answer.

{Perhaps we could speak of this another day.}

"He's withholding information from you." The voice in my head whispered to me, beckoning me to fall.

"What about that crack in your skull?" I tapped my right eyebrow, "How did that happen?"

{I fell as a child and broke.} He spoke slower than usual, eyes narrowing at the sight of me.

"Ask him of the experimentation." There words seemed nearly hypnotizing, every syllable enticing me.

"What about... No." I ducked my head, picking up the device and sticking the suction cups to my skin.

"No?" They laughed, "I'm sorry. Don't you want that informa-"

I turned the dial too quickly, immediately pushing the button.

Our screams merged into one, any other sounds in the area becoming foreign.

The shock was over by the time I was able to pry my eyes open. With knees at my chest, and hands covering my ears, I couldn't see much more than the floor.

"Alright... Alright..." They croaked, "I-I'll bite. Just... please... stop with the electrocution."

"I'm not sure I can trust you." I wheezed, pushing my body up as my hands searched the remote. My vision was black at the edges, making it seem impossible to maneuver.

"That's right. You're not sure." Feet appeared in front of me, tapping anxiously, "How can you trust _me?_ I'm a murderer, right? I've given you absolutely no reason... but you do have the upper hand." Small, fat fingers reached out to me, "I'll see you when you wake up, Bry."

The figure was the first thing to go, shattering and dissipating into everything around me.

First time stopped, then the colors dissolved into nothingness. Finally, were the shapes of what once was unraveling until everything was white... and then it was black.

 _ **~LOAD~**_

All I knew was I was lying on the ground. My whole body felt unusually heavy.

When I opened my eyes, I could feel the entire world collapse around me.

"Morning, Mister Pennston~" The demon mused, looming over me with their fists at their hips, "Now, I gotta admit Bry, no one has _ever_ bested me, but you've done it. My hat goes down to you, when I get one, of course."

"H-how do you-"

"I'm all in your brain." They shoved their hand through their head, as if to prove a point, "And I'd advise you not seem like a lunatic." The corners of their lips curled, taking the form of a maniac grin, "No one else can see me."

I threw my body up, making way for the lab.

"Wait." I stopped, quickly turning my shoulder to only find them inches away. They looked to be about four foot three, just five inches shorter than myself, "How did you do that?"

"How did I do what?" They looked down at their fingers, a bored expression across their face, "The LOAD?"

"Yeah. You're not in control." I narrowed my eyes to then, fists balling at my sides.

They quickly glanced at me before returning to their hand, "Bry, the only reason you can do that is because of me. For that reason is why it'd be absolutely worthless to rid yourself of me." They let out a chuckle, "Though you are right. I'm not in control. I only could've done that because you wanted to LOAD. You're so bent on the idea that we can get along." Their head shot up as they glared at me, "Understand this is more of a mutual agreement. I give you all the information you need, and you won't shock the everliving shit outta me."

"Please stop calling me that?" I huffed, continuing my tread to the lab, "Down here, my name is Sans, and I would much rather not be called by any other."

"Well,"

"Shut up."

"Alright."

The same routine as the first iteration. The lab doors open, the suction cups are put against my skin, and Gaster stands by the door to allow me in.

"Not this time, buddy." I sighed, rolling the sweater over my exposed skin and turning the remote off before stuffing it into my pocket, "We've got it under-wraps. This is just a precautionary." I pat my stomach for a moment, fingertips tapping against one of the suction cups.

{Are you sure of that?} He folded his arms over his chest.

The demon stood next to him, mimicking his posture as they gave me a nod.

"Yeah." I yawned, stretching out my arms, "And lemme tell ya, I'm exhausted! I hadta've died a few times... And the shouting! My throat just hurts thinking of it. Honestly, we've got it settled."

"Overcompensating much, Sansy?" The creature laughed at me, a wicked grin plastered to their lips.

{Alright.} The skeleton let out a hesitant sigh, closing the door next to him, {We'll go home once you're ready.} And he walked away, probably to grab his things.

"Aw, don't give me the cold shoulder." They laughed as I reached for my jacket, holding it close.

I narrowed my eyes to the beast, able to feel my fingers twitch in annoyance, "I'm gonna trust you on this, but that doesn't make us square. You have some explaining to do once we get home."

"Yes, Mom." They groaned, seating themselves on the floor, "You don't have to tell me twice."

"You know," I sighed, resulting to putting the jacket on. Waterfall's not that far from here, "it feels good to have the upper-hand. Usually the best I get's a stalemate."

"Well congratulations." They clapped very slowly for me, "Can we get going, now?"

"Yeah." I sighed, turning my head over my shoulder, "Ready when you are, Gast!"

That walk home resulted as the most awkward I've experienced in years. All Chara did was stare at me, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.


	12. Chapter 12

"Now." Chara spoke with a low chuckle.

I immediately rolled out of bed, returning my mask to my face and walking toward the door.

"Wait." I stopped, fingertips against the door handle as my eyes narrowed toward the demon, "How do I know you're not lying to me?"

"You don't," They crossed their arms over their chest, "but it's not like I'm asking you to send this world to oblivion. You're just going to look into a room."

"And possibly get in trouble." I gave them an unconfident laugh, "What if Gast doesn't let me live here, anymore?"

"Or Papyr-" They stopped, contemplating on the thought, "Never mind. There's no way that idiot would boot you."

"You better watch it." I could feel my jaw throb as I grit my teeth, "That's my brother you're talking about."

"Oh, that's right." They laughed at me, clasping their hands together as their voice raised an octave, "'I've always wanted a brother! Hopefully I can protect this one from harms way! At least this one couldn't possibly get run over by a car!'" Their voice suddenly became dark as shadows appeared over their eyes, "Because it's all your fault. You are the sole reason as to why she died. It was your fault, and all you did was run."

I pulled the remote out of my pocket, turning it on.

"Alright. Shutting up." They returned to their normal, bored tone, "Though I do have to say, you are very determined to protect little Pappy. Perhaps it was all for the better that you climbed Ebott."

My thumb wavered over the button as I tapped one of two cups against my stomach, "There's no post-mortem shit you're able to pull, right?"

"I'm a demon, Bryan, not a miracle worker."

I let out a sigh, turning the remote off and stuffing it back into my pocket, "I've told you not to call me that." I hissed, opening the door and walking out to the hall.

"Sans is a dumb name, if you ask me." They pouted, folding their arms over their chest. If I hadn't known a hell of a lot better, I'd be convinced they were an innocent child, "I mean, I know you're trying to be a skeleton, and skeletons have font names. Aster. Wingding. Papyrus... but what the hell are you going for? Sans Serif? Comic Sans? ... Open? PT?"

"Actually, Sans Serif is more of a subcategory in typography." I spoke in a low whisper, "It's just regular font without the Serifs. Papyrus is more of a decorative, and Wingding's a symbol..." I stopped by Gaster's door, listening for whatever's coming next.

There was silence.

"Open the door." They laughed, their hand phasing through the door handle.

I gave them a glare.

"C'mon." They stepped through the door, their voice still lingering in my mind, "If you get in trouble, I'll let you blame it on me."

I slowly cracked the door open, looking inside the fairly dark room. I could barely make out the shapes.

There were two men seated on the bed, one fairly shorter than the other. They had the same crack up the right eye, but otherwise they seemed to show no other characteristics. The other was the opposite, all features but no crack.

They didn't speak in words, but rather through sign language. There were some words I could make out. Time. Save. End. They seemed to be going too fast for me, though I already have a rough idea as to what they mean.

"The shorty's Aster." Chara stood between the two, glancing over at me, "But, well, I guess he's probably your height, so that's probably what you'd consider normal." They watched me for a moment, hopefully able to feel the anger boiling within me, "The other guy's Wingding." They stopped, tapping their foot, "Wing, Asriel, and I were decent friends while I was alive... Aster would tag along... but he always kinda separated himself from us." I had never seen any form of sympathy from this thing. Maybe there is hope for them, "Aster... was strong with his magic. Thank God he was! Imagine a human falling down here shortly after they became trapped down here... and walking with the king's son? I would've been dead in an instant, if it weren't for him... Well... if it weren't for him, maybe my plan could've better played out"

The one they called Aster signed their words with hesitation. Reach out. Old friend. Save them.

Anger flashed within Wingding, who gave off one word with utter violence. Impossible.

"It's been way too long since the experiments." They sounded deflated, "I watched it happen hundreds of times through the eyes of the third soul. I didn't do anything to stop it. I couldn't. It started long before I got that vessel... And they were oblivious." They looked back to me, eyes glazed over, "I know what you're thinking. Why would a murderous child have any sort of emotion other than hate?" The gave me a dry laugh, gaze returning to the two as they reached out, "I didn't originally want to kill monsters. They're full of love. Why would I ever want to destroy something so beautiful?... Hmm? Why am I telling you this? Heh. Well, in case you've forgotten, you do have the upper hand. No one's bested me, yet you seem to be the one human I can't understand. These skeletons? You're so determined to protect them, even if it's from yourself. Why do you care? Don't you want to see the sun? Don't you want to see the stars?"

{Don't you understand the necessity of privacy?} Wingding stood over me, catching me off guard. When had he moved?

"I-I'm..." I stopped myself, "Chara made me!" I motioned toward the demon, who still stood in front of Aster.

He looked over his shoulder, looking in the direction I had been pointing.

"Sans?" Aster spoke for the first time. His voice was timid and weak, but probably one of the most calming I've heard in a while, "Do you see the demon right as we speak?"

"No, you can't." Chara laughed, disappearing before my eyes.

"No, I can't." I sighed, holding my head, "I'm sorry for this. I should be better respecting your space."

They exchanged looks for a moment before Wingding gave of a dragged out sigh, pulling me into the room and closing the door behind me.

"How much do you understand of this situation?" Aster began questioning me, his gaze wavering between my eyes and the exit. Social anxiety? Not quite. More like a lack of trust or fear that I could attack at any given moment.

"Absolutely nothing." I lied. Of course, they knew I at least had a vague idea, otherwise I wouldn't have been snooping around, "Actually, could I ask you something, now that I've got you practically trapped in a corner?"

{You don't have us trapped in a corner.} Wing folded him arms over his torso, narrowing his eyes to me.

"Does Pap know about this?" A smile begged to be set free, though I smothered the thought. I'm trying to play cool here, not sly.

They exchanged looks once again, quickly signing to each other.

{You're bluffing.}

"Does it look like I'm bluffing?"

He shot me a confused look, Aster giving me a quiet laugh. That's right. Mask... Well, I'm in too deep. I can't take it off, now.

"What is it you have to ask?" Aster gave me a weak smile.

"Well..." My words trailed off, "You kinda got mad last time I asked... so how do I..." I brought my right hand up, moving it up and down.

He covered his hand over his broken self, breaking eye contact with me.

"I mean, you did tell me you 'fell as a child,' and I'm not saying you're lying, but at the time it sounded like that bullet was already in the barrel."

{You need to leave. Now.} He held a menacing tone, forcing shivers through my spine.

"But all I want is ans-"

He grabbed my arm, and we suddenly ended up in my room.

"ers... huh?"

{Either say in here or prepare for eviction.} He threatened me, instantly vanishing.

"Such polar opposites." I gave off an unconvincing laugh, walking up to my door and locking it.

"Welcome to Hell, now." Chara nearly cackled, "No one's seen them separated from each other in seventy years."

"First in seventy years." I chuckled, meandering to my bed. The sheets were still crumpled from last night's restless sleep, "There's an accomplishment I can be proud of."

"You may want to get some rest." They motioned toward my bed, "A good night's rest could help you recover above your maximum hp, and I think you're due for a beating come tomorrow." The let out a quiet snort, "You're going to want to hold onto at least all twenty."

"Yeah." I yawned, stretching my arms before taking my mask, gently placing it on the floor, "I'll get right to that."


	13. Chapter 13

"A-and there's been no trouble with the band?" Alphys had been talking to me through the phone.

I slid my jacket down over my shoulder, tapping the band that I now wore behind my sweater, "No, there've been no magic outbreaks recently. I actually almost forgot about-"

"SANS!" Papyrus stormed into the kitchen, holding a sock in front of me, "WHY ARE YOU LEAVING YOUR LAUNDRY _EVERYWHERE_?!"

"God, can you stop yelling?" I brought the phone away from my ear, rubbing the other with a mittened hand.

"I'LL STOP YELLING WHEN YOU CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF!"

"Alright. Jesus." I took the sock from him, looking it over, "Wait... Why were you in my room?!"

"Well someone has to clean it." He folded his arms over his chest, looking me straight in the eyes, "And you're getting fat! It doesn't surprise me, since all you do is boondoggle!"

"Excuse me?!" I sneered, "I've done a lot, lately!"

"Oh, really?" Chara had been leaning against the wall, watching me with a maniacal grin, "Because all it ever looks like your doing is being a suicidal idiot screaming into air."

"Can everyone just shut the fuck up!" I shouted, backing away once I saw to look of hurt on Papyrus's face. I returned to the phone, "Do you mind if I stop by, later?"

"N-not at all." She stammered her response.

"Aight. See ya, later." I hung up the phone, noticing the how my "brother" kept averting eye contact, "Pap, I-"

"Forget it." His tone was cold as he turned over his shoulder, leaving the room, "If you're not going to care, why should I?"

I watched him leave, unable to make myself stop him.

"Wanna LOAD?" The demon asked of me, staring at the exit with arms folded.

"I haven't SAVEd in a week." I groaned, watching the exit with what felt like dead eyes.

"So?"

"So, I'm not redoing a whole week."

"You'll have to redo more than just a week, eventually." They gave me a dry laugh, their back sliding down the wall, "And hey, maybe when that happens, Wings might not avoid you as often."

I just stared at the door out of the house, clicking my tongue as I remained deep in thought, "I can't depend on the band forever, can I?"

"Not if you want to learn the full extent of your magic." They pat their small hands against the tile floor, a sad expression against their face, "But..." They looked up at me before forcing their eyes away, "Never mind."

I let out a hesitant sigh, crouching down in front of them, "I can't believe I'm asking this, but what's wrong?"

"It's nothing." They brought their knees up to their chest, burying their face in their arms. I guess they are still human.

"Doesn't look like nothing." I sat on my rear, putting my hands on my knees as I began to lean forward, "Hard weak? Not accepting the pain threats, still? I'm not boring you yet, am I?"

"No, you're surprisingly entertaining." They lifted their head up about two inches, looking me in the eyes, "You... wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"Have you ever just... _wanted_ to rip someone from the inside out?" They used their hands to express their emotions, their words calm and collective as if this were pillow talk.

I sat on the thought, a few jerks coming to mind.

"I'll take that as a yes." An empty laugh, "That feeling that you're experiencing? Monsters can't enjoy that hate. It's not in their biology... It's the same with power. Humans are the only species with magic that can experience corruption." They broke eye contact with me, "I... never wanted to kill monsters... But I'm only human. Hell, the fifth soul was able to bring the entire Underground to the surface... He killed mother to do so, but it seemed like a worthy sacrifice." They managed to hold back a choked sob, "I hadn't seen the sun in years, and I forced him to reset. I forced him to let me take control, and I killed everyone."

"And why are you telling me this?" I sighed, tapping my fingers, "It doesn't matter what you _originally_ wanted. You killed, some probably more than once. Crying about it doesn't justify anything, even if no one remembers."

"No one has ever bested me." They laughed, insanity dripping off their tongue, "Br... Sans. Control corrupts, and you haven't let me have an inch." They looked me in the eyes, beads of red seeing through me, "You're not going to gain any LV anytime soon. Your HP. Your EXP. I know you will only keep those stagnant. If anything, those will only decrease." Their eyes slowly changed, gaping sockets replacing the beady red as black ooze fell down their cheeks, "You'll die one day. You'll still hold onto all that damn DETERMINATION, but you're the kind that could give up the second they want to."

{Sans.} Gaster stood at the threshold, hands in front of him, {Aster's... asked that I apologize to you for Wednesday night.} As he spoke, he moved his hands in small motions.

"Well, keep using sign language when you talk to me." I laughed at the situation, "It really helps me understand what your saying. And next time, let Aster be the person that normal people hear. At least he knows english."

{You're making it hard to be nice.}

"Well soooo sorry, Mister Douche." I began to sneer, sarcasm pouring from my lips, "I'm not the one who got their panties in a twist over a simple question. I would've respected if he said no."

{And I appreciate that, but you don't understand the situa-}

"Fine then. Explain to me? What don't I understand?" I stood back up, dusting myself off.

His attention drifted elsewhere, as if waiting for something.

"So many years, and it still bothers him?" Chara spoke in a quiet tone, watching the 'man' in front of us.

I felt my eyebrows furrow as I watched the child.

"Aster was abandoned as a child." They pulled their legs closer to their body, "His parents thought his magic was too strong. They didn't want to risk their lives for the sake of their _child._ That's why we were 'friends.' We understood each others' pain."

"I..." I stopped, looking back up to Gaster, "I'm sorry."

He watched me with blank eyes, studying me, {Why did you climb Ebott, if I may ask?}

"..." I looked down toward the ground, biting down on my lip, "I... lost... she..." I couldn't find my words, "I had a younger sister... we're about thirteen years apart. She was hearing impaired. I had to take care of her... and..." I nearly choke, the smell of oxidizing blood reoccurring within my subconscious. "It was my fault... I was never really a good big brother. She was learning sign language, coming up to me every once in a while with what was new, and I just brushed her off in order to work on my studies... I mean, who does that? Just completely shut their _younger sibling_ that they're practically raising because their lazy-ass mother can't get off the fucking couch to provide for her children _._ "

{... Sorry I asked?}

I lifted my mask up, wiping my face with the sleeve of my jacket, "Every good story derives from tragedy." I said in one, easy breath, returning my mask to its original place.

{Would you like to be left alone?}

"No." I answered, probably a little too quickly, "I mean... It's your house. Don't abandon a room for my sake."

He let out a hesitant sigh, approaching me with his hand outstretched. I took it, realizing how stupid that was when the metal walls of the side room to the royal laboratory came into view.

"Why are we here?" I looked around, trying not to think of my own death sentence, last I was in here.

{Aster suggested this.} He growled quietly under his breath, leaning against the west wall and holding his head, {Do you... understand how a battle works?}

"If what I've read is right-"

{Reading it is different from experience.} He folded his arms, splitting into two, {Do you want to, or should I?} He looked over to his shorter half, a small grin against his face.

Aster watched me with some sort of intent, eyes glowing an eerie purple as he held his right hand in front of him. It illuminated the already well-lit room.

{Alright, then.} He pushed himself away from the wall, walking toward the doorway out, {Good luck, you two.} He gave the two of us a backwards before disappearing.

A blue heart appeared in front of me, a small window next to it.

 **Sans: HP 20/20**

"Well, this oughta be a great learning experience." I gave off an unconfident laugh.

I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Guys! I need you to do me a favor. So, my best friend's on Tumblr (memelessness) and she's working on an Undertale comic called Capturetale. It takes place after the True Pacifist ending, but instead of humans and monsters living together in peace, government officials come in and scoop up monsters a few at a time... She explains it better... She's willing to answer any asks, too!**_

 _ **What I request from you is that you check it out and maybe give her a few likes. She's really in a tough spot right now and she deserves a lot of love (not LOVE. You guys know what I mean).**_

 _ **Thanks guys! Now onto the story!**_

* * *

I took a step forward, opening my mouth in order to tell the skeleton that I didn't want to fight.

"Stop right there." Chara stood in front of me, arms outstretched in order to block me, "Whatever you do, be it talking or whatever else, that counts as part of your turn. Don't waste it."

I watched them for a moment, somewhat not wanting to trust them.

They looked over their shoulder, a focused, unsatisfied look in their eyes, "I need you to click the act button."

"The w-"

"Shh... don't talk. You'll forfeit your turn." They kept their body in the same position, eyes watching me, "Look down."

I did what they asked, looking at three panels that floated at waist level. Fight, Act, and Mercy. I reached out to act, the button dissipating upon touch.

"Shit." They hissed, eyeing the white letters that spelled ASTER, "What're you even planing, old man? ... Tap his name." They turned their head, watching the patient skeleton, "What does it say?"

I swiped my arm through the name, watching the new words that appeared, "Check. Talk... Pick on. Joke."

"Why the hell is pick on on option?" They sighed, finally lowering their arms, "Umm... Check."

I pressed it, the entire window disappearing. I looked up, Aster's stats floating next to him. Hp:? Atk:? "Most likely the worst fight you'll ever have."

"Well, that's helpful." They sighed.

Aster lifted his hand with one small motion, bones beginning to appear on the ground.

"Run, you idiot!" The demon began to shout at me, and I did as it said, "Not in a straight line, dimwit."

The bones eventually stopped, only one barely grazing me.

"Well..." I wheezed, brushing myself off as the three buttons appeared once again, "That was something."

"Fights are solely turn-based." They motioned to my fight button, wanting me to press it, "So, unless you're an asshole, it's customary to not attack during someone else's turn."

I pawed at the fight button, the window immediately disappearing.

"Take off your band, first." They requested.

"And why should I?" I sneered, raising my left hand.

"Do you _want_ to survive this fight, because the only way he'll allow that is for one of you to have your hp whittled away, and you're currently at two thirds of max."

I let out a sigh, taking my right arm out of my jacket and rolling up the sleeve. The band snapped off with ease, dropping down to the ground with a surprisingly heavy _clank_.

I raised my hand up once again, feeling a burning sensation in my eyes. This was new. This was power that I haven't used. This was power that I can't control.

Bones appeared in the air, shooting at my opponent at lightning speed. He didn't even dodge. How could he just take that?

This is all just an experiment.

Anger welled up in me, already tired of being just a test subject to the man. I could feel my magic begin to envelope me, swallowing me whole. I couldn't hear much over a screeching and some laughter... and then a beam of light came from behind me.

I couldn't move, only able to watch what was in my peripherals. Blue magic turning red, and then a black darker than night itself. It was a magic so heavy that I couldn't see more than two inches from my face.

I felt a heavy force slam into my ribs, and then I was out.

* * *

"God dammit." I moaned, cradling my head with my hands, "The hell happened?"

Wingding and Aster were far off, talking to each other. The taller glanced at me for a moment before signing something. Aster then nodded, approaching me.

"Sans?" Their voice, timid and shy, was somehow soothing, helping me relax, "How did you get that armband?"

I looked over to my right bicep, the sleeve rolled of and the band secure around the muscle, "A friend." I sighed, tracing my fingers against the metal.

"Well, they did a great job." He laughed, voice starting to sound just a little warmer, "We're going to need to have you keep that on."

"I'll trust you on that." I laughed, shrugging the entirety of the situation off.

Wingding handed me a piece of paper.

"You managed to summon this." Aster clarified, pointing at the well-drawn sketch, "Could you tell us what this is?"

My eyes followed the shape, not quite sure what to make out of it, "It..." I started, somewhat doubting myself, "kinda looks like a dragon skull."

"Have you never summoned this thing, before?"

I shook my head, eyes still set on the paper, "No." I followed the beam that it seemed to shoot out of its mouth, "Was it cool, though?"

Dings nodded, Aster shrugged.

{Everyone has a special attack that's specific to them.} The taller skeleton spoke, slow enough that my clouded mind could figure it out.\

"Well then, I need to find a name for it." I mused, looking back up at the two, "Mind if I keep this?"

{By all means.}

I hadn't noticed earlier (They probably weren't there, earlier) that Chara had been leaning against a wall, irritation written all over their face.

The memories came flooding back, anger consuming me once more.

They looked up at me, a wry grin pulling tightly at their lips.

That's the last time I trust a demon.


	15. Chapter 15

**I need more somewhat happy Sans, so here.**

* * *

"Oh, Bryan, don't be like that!" Chara laughed, not being too fond of how I began to ignore them

"I _trusted_ you." I sneered, watching the lava around me as I held my jacket in my arms.

"How could you expect anything different?" they nearly cackled, sending chills down my spine, "I'm a malevolent spirit. Do you really think I'd do anything but?!"

They're right. How could I have thought differently.

"Really though," They stared me dead in the eyes, voids beginning to replace the red, "deception is a simple little thing. Tell them a few truths, then test the waters with some lies."

I just grit my teeth, ignoring the monstrosity once again.

"I mean, of course you'd know. I learned from your mind." Chasms that were once eyes watched me, a malicious grin plastered to their lips, "I've never had to use that trick, before. I gotta say, you really shoulda known better."

I reached for the door in front of me, knocking on the material. It wasn't wood, that I knew, but it couldn't be metal, either.

"Don't you dare judge me on past mistakes." I spoke in a low growl, my eyes beginning to narrow, "I did what I had to do, then it was a matter of surv-"

"You say that, but do you really believe it?" They leaned against the wall next to the door, eyes returning to its normal form as they reverted to their bored expression, "Do you _really_ believe what you've done is justified? All the pain you've caused for those around you? All the looks people would give you because they know what happened?" The grin returned, wider than it had previously been, "You're even more sick than I am to believe it was 'just a matter of survival.' This world isn't a kill or be killed. It's live a boring life or fill it with thrill."

The door opened, the yellow monster deciding to peak out of her natural habitat to answer.

"H-hey there, Sans." She gave me a weak smile, almost as if she knew I needed reassurance.

"Take a good look at her, Sansy~" Chara sung, gliding their finger over their neck, "She'll be as good as dead before you can cry for help."

I put my hand into my pocket, fingers searching for the on button of the 'shock me' remote, "Hey Al. How's it been?"

"I-I've been o-okay, I guess." She stammered, looking over her shoulder, "W-would you like to come in?" She opened the door a bit wider, backing up to let me inside.

"Don't mind if I do." I gave her a chuckle, glad to take up her offer.

Quiet cheering came from the living room.

"Got someone over?" I put my jacket back on, shoving my hands into the pockets, "I can come by later."

"U-Undyne and I are just watching a show." She closed the door, leading my to the chanting, "We're watching Naruto. I've a-already seen it, though, s-so I'm trying really hard not to spoil it."

We stepped into an open room, a fish lady seated on the floor, staring at a screen roughly ten feet away.

"He dies." I pointed at a smiling man on the screen, honestly unsure of what I said... but he does look like a villain, therefore he's got to die, eventually.

"Don't spoil it!" Undyne began to shout at me, whipping her head back to glare at me with one cold eye.

"Sorry. Halibut." I shrugged, on the verge of laughing my ass off.

Chara groaned as the womens' faces began to sink in either irritation or disbelief.

"Oh." She sat up, still watching me, "You're the one with the brother who wants to be in the guard."

"Guppy as charged." I tapped my fingers against my stomach, suddenly frowning at the growing pudge. It's only been a while since I fell. How could I let myself go? ... Maybe I should get back to working out. It'd do me some good.

... Nah. Maybe in the next life.

"You mean when you reset?" The demon in my head chimed, wicked grin on their face.

"Hey Al?" I turned my head to look at the dinosaur woman, "You mind if I mooch some food offa ya?"

"I... d-don't have much." She stammered, looking down to the ground, "A-and..."

"I'll pay you back tenfold. Promise." I reassured her, moving over to the kitchen.

"A-and you're also w-ithout a job." She followed me, leaving her buddy with the T.V.

"I'll ask Gaster for the money." I shrugged, immediately going to the fridge, "I'm not going to take much, I promise. I just-"

"Y-you know Doctor Gaster?" Her eyes lit up in a childish light, "W-what's he like?"

An asshole with two personalities, one having threatened to kill me to protect to other and one actually trying to kill me for science, "He's an okay guy, I guess." Nothing looked edible. Of course, it wasn't. It was all monster food, "You know what? I changed my mind. I'll grab something at home."

"How d-did you meet Gaster?" She was practically bouncing up and down, watching me with anticipation, starting to talk fast, "D-did you meet him on the road? Or maybe just stumble upon him in a restaurant? Oh! I know! You went to see the king, and there he was, standing right in front of you! O-or maybe it was,"

"Whoa there. Calm down." I gave her a hesitant laugh, waving my hands in front of me, "We're just 'brothers.' We live in the same house, if every you want to meet him... since obviously you're a big fan."

She looked as if she were screaming inside, absolutely consumed with joy.

I looked back into the living room, the T.V. still on and Undyne's cheers becoming a little louder, "Is it... too late to join you two in your shows?"

"N-not at all!" She laughed, probably the first honest laugh I've heard from her by the looks of it, and motioned toward the room.

That night, I ended up having to crash at her place. What can I say? The show was starting to get good.


	16. Chapter 16

My eyes nearly flew open as I woke to sounds similar to that of metal being filed.

"Gooood moorning~" Chara laughed, hovering above me, "So, who shall we kill first?"

I threw my arm in front of me, their body disappearing between my chubby, mittened fingers.

"Oh... Well someone's pissy, this morning." They huffed, reappearing against the wall with arms folded over their chest.

"O-oh." Alphys walked into the room, "A-are you still here?"

"Yeah." I sat up, holding my head, "Sorry?"

"No, no, no." She waved her hands in front of her, ducking her head, "I-it's alright."

"Thanks." I lowered my own head, watching my hands intently.

There was a deafening silence between the two of us, quiet enough to hear the house settle.

She let out a droning sigh, seating herself down next to me, "What's wrong?"

"Honestly, I'm fi-"

"Sans." Her tone grew stern, something I never thought she could manage, "Please, don't lie to me."

I brought my knees closer to my chest, burying my face into my arms, "You... wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

I rolled my head up, looking her in her big, sympathetic eyes, "I..." I stopped myself, forcing my mind to focus on a different, just-as-soulcrushing problem, "Pa...pyrus." I croaked, hiding my face once again, "I think he hates me, ever since I yelled at him yesterday. He... just..."

She put her hand on my back, rubbing small circles beneath my shoulder blades, "Y-you... fell, didn't you?"

Every muscle in me began to stiffen, my mind on guard.

"It's fine..." She let out a hesitant exhale, "Undyne went home a few hours ago."

"How..." I forced out, looking her in the eyes as fear began to envelope me, "How... did you..."

"You eat more often than any monster needs, especially a skeleton." She laughed, reaching for my mask.

I backed away, my fingers curling against the bottom of my skeleton face, "Y-you don't want to-"

"You breathe." She sighed, bringing her hand to her side and breaking eye contact with me, "You sweat... You hate." She glanced back up at me, "Most monsters think humans bring nothing but pain and death," She watched her feet intently, tapping her fingers gently against the floor, "but... I know better... U-Undyne and I... we met through the sixth human."

"Seventh." Chara corrected her, despite her inability to hear the thing.

"I'm... sorry for your lost." I muttered under my breath, already knowledgable of the outcome of that.

"It was... bound to happen." Now she brought her legs closer to her, "We knew his fate the day we met him."

I lowered my hand, holding it against my stomach, "Well, just because a storm is expected doesn't mean it's not going to flood."

"Yeah." She smiled softly, still watching her feet.

I looked up at the tv, which had the news going off without sound. Only subtitles.

It talked about the king and his guard, my stomach sinking a bit.

"Monsters... d-don't hate." She broke the lingering tension between us, "It's completely against our nature... If anything, he'd be worried about you. He does see you as his brother, right?"

"He _is_ my brother." I spoke in a quiet tone, taking notice of Chara, who looked down on me once again with hallow eyes and a plastic smile.

"Go home, Sans." She sighed, standing and leaving me with the silence of the room.

Chara said nothing, laughing instead.

"Go away." I growled, swiping my hand against them as their form shattered.

I eventually stood up, leaving the house and walking back home.

I remembered yesterday, being on the phone, yelling at Papyrus, talking to Wingding, being teleported.

"Could I do that?" I muttered, raising my hand in front of me.

Ignoring the intense heat, I closed my eyes. I thought of cooler weather. I thought of Snowdin. My eyes opened, and I was standing in front of the ruins, "Hm... guess I can." I shrugged, returning my hand to my pockets.

* * *

I reached out to the door handle, turning it slowly as my anticipation for the worst began to grow.

"Sans?" Papyrus had been on the couch, eyes barely visible as he watched me over the edge of the couch.

"Hey Pap." I averted his gaze, closing the door behind me with my foot, "How've y-" I was cut off by an embrace, the thin figure supporting himself with my shoulders.

"I... thought I lost you." He nearly sobbed, forcing the tears to brim my eyes.

I hesitantly reaching my hand to the back of his ribs, patting his back as I returned the hug, "I'm here. I promise..."

Chara stood twenty feet away from us, grinning from ear-to-ear as they ran a finger over their throat.

"I'm not going anywhere, bro."


	17. Chapter 17

"Grillbz! Hit me with another!" I waved my hand to the man of flames, body beginning to feel the music that blared from the jukebox.

He watched me carefully, handing me another bottle. He was never much of a talker.

I immediately twisted off the cap, taking a gulp of the bitter liquid.

"You can't drown me out." Chara mused, spinning around on the seat next to me.

"Well, you obviously don't know that." I nearly slurred, holding a firm grip against the bottle's neck, "Everyone else you've possessed was what? Nine? Well, I'm a fucking adult!" I downed the bottle, slamming the glass against the bar, "Another!"

"Cut off." Grillby spoke, using as few words as usual.

"Cut off?" I raised from my seat, standing on the footrest of the chair, "W-what do you mean cut off? I'm trying to save the fucking world from a god-damn demon!"

He shook his head, "Called your brother. He'll be here, soon."

I felt everything in me sink, my face becoming stone, "Which brother answered?"

He turned around, picking up a glass to polish.

"Oooooh, someone's in trouble~" The demon laughed at me, grin stretching to an impossible length and eyes beginning to drip black.

"Shut up," I groaned, falling back onto my seat, "and you better hope it's not Gaster, because my drunk ass will not be able to handle him right now.

"He's always been really absorbed with his research."

"I'm not sure whether or not you're lying just to get all 'buddy buddy' with me."

The front door opened, a wave of cold flooding the normally warm building. I turned around in my seat, not sure whether to be relieved or ashamed of Papyrus being the be here.

"Hey there, Bro!" I was bubbling with laughter, waving my hand above my head.

He gave me a look of disappointment, approaching me, "Sans, what are you doing here so late?"

"I'm... hic... drowning out a demon."

He reached under my arms, lifting me up.

"What're ya doin?" My lighthearted expression sank as I was raised from my seat.

"I am taking you home." He sighed, looking up at Grillby, "Thanks for looking after him."

And we left the building.

"Ya know, you don't need to carry me." I sighed, not quite fighting against him.

"If the bartender had to call me when the walk is so short, I feel that I do in fact have to carry you."

I rest my head against his collar bone, "Thanks, Bro." I let out a quiet laugh, my voice sounding choked.

"Are you... alright?" He began questioning me.

"Yeah there, Sansy~" Chara spoke in one of those whisper-screams, "Are you alright, little wimp?"

"I just got a lot weighing down on me." My voice was muffled as I tried to calm my somewhat erratic breathing, "Are you," I rolled my head up in order to look at his face, "... wearing cologne?"

"Yeah." He grumbled, only a little louder than the crunching beneath his feet, "I was kinda in the middle of something."

"You weren't-"

"Yup."

My head sank, neck feeling weak, "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." He sighed, "So long as you're okay, it doesn't really matter."

Every fiber in my body hummed with the same pang of guilt. Who am I to take a good moment from someone. Especially _Papyrus_ , probably the only one who is completely undeserving of a bad time.

"Pap... I..."

"I said it's alright." His voice was a little quieter at that point as he opened the door, walking up to the kitchen. He stepped in, his shoulders sinking, "They're gone."

The guilt drilled further into me as he placed me in a chair, "Pap?"

"Do you want to help me eat the rest of this." He sighed, walking over to a tall pot.

"What is it?"

"Spaghetti."

I forced a somewhat pleased hum, tapping my fingers against the wood of the table, "I've always liked spaghetti as a kid."

He prepared two plated, setting them down at the table before moving onto the tableware drawer.

"The silver's gone." He sounded absolutely deflated.

"Runaway _and_ a golddigger." I took off my mitten and reached over to my plate, twirling one, long noodle around my finger, "I think you lucked out, there." I lifted my mask up with my other hand, popping the food into my mouth, "Wow. This is honestly the best I've ever had." I looked over my shoulder, watching him smile somewhat pathetically, "There some secret ingredient in the sauce?"

"I _am_ an artisan in my craft." He gave me a chuckle, approaching me and seating himself at the table.

"That you are." I laughed, grabbing another noodle. I can blame this on my drunk mind in the morning.

He mimicked the motion, eating his food for himself.

We spent probably an hour just talking, laughing, trying to think of better times than tonight. He paid no attention to my fleshy hands, as I also made no point to point it out. I know better, though. Papyrus isn't dumb. Of course he knows. He just doesn't want me to run from him.

I know that feeling.

"Sweet dreams~" Chara laughed as I bordered the line between conscious and absolutely out of it, hands wrapped around Papyrus's neck.

I woke up in the morning, tightly wrapped in the covers of my bed.

* * *

 **Before you start commenting, I know. Wait.**


	18. Chapter 18

I walked around the lab, taking a mental note of what was lying around. Computer. Test tubes. Beakers. Possibly deadly chemicals.

"I've always wanted an excuse to wear one of these." I pulled one of the lab coats off the wall, slipping my arms into the sleeve holes, "Now I'm officially a royal scientist!"

"'s assistant." Aster corrected me, looking over the monitor as he took notes.

"Close e-fucking-nough." I tried to hide my childish excitement.

{Are you sure you want to walk around wearing my lab coat.} Wingdings watched me with a confused look, fingers hovering over a control board.

"I promise I won't jack it." I laughed, taking a step forward and immediately falling on my face.

{Getting it ruined was the least of my worries.} He snorted, returning to his work.

I pushed myself off the ground, watching the floor with my distorted vision, "Well, shit." I muttered, trying to pick up the broken pieces of my mask.

"Guess you gotta LOAD." Chara laughed.

"I'll just glue this back together." I muttered, trying to piece it back together.

"Couldn't you have turned your head just a little bit to the left." They hummed, tapping their cheekbone, "You nearly gouged your eye out, and I gotta admit, that would've been hilarious."

I pressed my still mittened hands against my cheek, withdrawing it with red stains, "You guys got any bandaids lying around?" I lifted my head up, scanning the area.

"No need." Aster gave me a quick answer.

{Monsters don't bleed.} Dings clarified, turning to face me.

"Alright, then." I sighed, picking the pieces of my disguise up and carrying it to a table, "What about glue?"

{That, I can provide.} He walked over to a cupboard, pulling out a bottle of clear fluid.

"Awesome." I clicked my tongue, pulling the lab coat off and hanging it back up.

"You know what?" The demon in my head began to muse, childish joy in their voice, "Maybe these two should be our first kill." Laughter echoed, forcing my jaw to set in its place, "And then we'll get Papyrus, and Alphys, and we'll get that snowman you made just so you can experience that look of defeat... And then we'll extinguish Grillby and stab the rest of his customers. And do you want to know the best part?" They drew closer, lips inches from my ear as they spoke in a happy whisper, "We can just RESET, and do it all... over... again~"

"Sans." Aster knelt down in front of me, snapping his fingers in front of my eyes. When did he leave his desk?

"I... I'm fine." I lied, taking a step away from him.

"Oh, you're fine now?" Chara cackled, "Your heart rate seems to suggest otherwise."

{Sans, it was just a mask.} Dings set a bottle of glue onto the desk, watching me with a look similar to Aster's.

"Yeah there, Sansy~" The demon grinned, "Just. A. Mask." With each word articulated, their smile only grew wider, fingers reaching toward my face.

"R-really. I'm fine." I jerked back for a moment, quickly forcing myself to stand before dusting myself off.

{Are you-}

"Yes, I am." I snapped, retreating once the words were out, "I'm sorry." I began to rub the back of my neck sheepishly, "I guess... It's been a long week. Maybe I shouldn't be here."

"It's only Monday." Aster gave me a disappointed look, turning his head to look over my broken mask, "And if you're planning on leaving, that may not happen any time soon."

"I'll fix this and get out, then." I trudged to the table, fumbling with the pieces.

"Which glue did you grab?"

{Does it even matter?}

"Of course it does!"

"I'm in hell." I began to mutter to myself, pulling my hands down my face.

"At least you're corporeal." Chara pouted, tapping their fingers against the table.

"And the least you could do is give me a day of sanity." I sneered, trying to piece my mask back together.

"Oh, that won't be happening until you co-operate~" They laughed, grin perpetually growing wider.

I reached into my pocket, quickly turning the remote on and pressing the button. The shock was barely tolerable as I held tightly onto the table, body spasming in reaction.

"Oh, I'm sorry." They leaned against the wall, looking at their fingernails with a bored look, "Was I supposed to feel something? Did you not here my spiel about deceit?" A quick laugh as they glanced back up at me, "'No one's ever bested me.' And by the looks of it, neither have you."

Fear began to envelope me as I fell to the floor, cradling my head. I can only imagine the reaction between Wingdings and Aster, but I couldn't hear them over my own internal cries of panic.


	19. Chapter 19

"W-what now?" Alphys stared blankly at the computer monitor in front of us. We had just finished watching something called Mew Mew Kissy Cutie. Honestly, not quite my thing, but I can see why she would like it.

"I have no clue." I sighed, flipping my poorly repaired mask in my hands.

"Want some food?" She offered, standing up.

"If you're offering." I shrugged, looking over the folders labeled by names of various anime.

"What w-would you like?"

"The souls of the innocent~" Chara hummed, digging their fingers into the wall beside me.

"Maybe some chips." I shrugged, watching the look of disappointment across the demon's face, "You know what? Go ahead and bring another bag over. I think I've got a show we can watch."

"Alright." She let out a sigh, turning around and heading toward her kitchen.

"You're an ass, you know that?" The entity before me began to growl.

I scoot myself closer to the computer, opening a browser and typing into the search engine.

"Ah, the silent treatment. You think that's going to stop me?"

I opened Netflix, stopping upon realization that I didn't need to sign in under my own account... Perhaps that's for the better.

"She's going to die soon, anyway." They nearly sung, cold words binding themselves to me, "Why even develop a bond, when she'll soon just be a pile of dust?"

"Doctor Who?" She sat back down next to me, handing me a big bag of chips before opening her own.

"Yeah?" I let out an awkward laugh, "Gotta problem."

"Pfft nerd."

"You're one to talk, ya nerd." I pressed play on the video, looking down at the bag in my lap, "Popato Chisps?"

"It's either a joke of a production error." She shrugged, mouth full of food.

"Where do you guys get your veggies, anyway?" I tore the bag open, popping a salty chip into my mouth.

"I-I'm shocked you're not asking about the veggies and not the 'meat.'"

"It doesn't have the same texture of meat." I sighed, head rolling up toward the ceiling, "I knew it was soy or something the day I decided to have a burger... Though, gotta admit, the taste actually isn't too bad."

"There's a garden in the city." She held a chip in front of her eyes, "W-we used to not have anything of nutritional value; forced to eat whatever we found in the dirt... b-but eventually seeds started coming in from the over-world. We planted them... a-and the royal scientist b-before Gaster was the one who had the idea of using the big lights in order t-to provide 'sunlight.'"

"There was someone before Gaster?" A laugh tried to force its way up my throat.

"From what I heard, he wasn't really considered a good guy." She reached over to her computer, turning the volume up, "He was too focused on his research to care about others, o-or himself in that matter."

"Oh, don't _you_ know what that feels like." Chara chuckled at me before I extending my middle finger, which was hidden from Alphys by the bag.

"Let's... just watch the show." I sighed, sitting quietly as I proceeded to shove popato chisps into my mouth.

* * *

"Whelp, it's getting late." I stretched my arms out, kicking the now empty bag of chips toward a small trashcan, "Paps'll want me back, soon."

She sat there hugging her pillow, looking up at me with pleading eyes, "C-can we watch another?"

I tapped my fingers against the floor, watching the screen, "There are seven seasons in the newer one. I can stop by in a few days, if you really wanna nerd out.'

She turned her head toward the monitor, shoulders beginning to raise as she pointed toward something, "It s-says there's nine."

"There's seven." I chuckled, "I think I would've watched if there were two seasons!"

"No. It says t-that r-right there."

"I looked closer, eyes beginning to glaze over, "Oh. Right. Capaldi." I sneered for a moment, "He didn't really give me a good impression, but I'll watch it with you, if you want me to."

"U-until next week?"

"Yeah." I stood up, brushing myself off and bringing my mask to my face, "Until then." I stood quietly for a moment, thinking about Snowdin. Alphys gave me a confused look, but eventually she left, fading into the temporary black. Once the light returned, I stood in front of the house I had been taking residence in.

"You really enjoy the pointless." Chara laughed as I entered the building, tapping their foot against the carpeted floor.

"Meh." I just shrugged, walking toward the kitchen.

"You _just_ had a big bag of chips to yourself, fat ass." They growled at me.

"What? Don't want me getting fat?" My calmed expression began to contort as I rummaged through the fridge, "Afraid I'm going to have a heart-attack?"

"If you die, we can just reset." They waved dismissively at me.

"So long as I'm not accepting of my death." I pulled out a container of spaghetti, tapping the side of the bin in temptation, "You need me to _want_ to live, right?"

They began to growl like an animal, gritting their teeth as their eyes began to resemble weeping wounds.

"Oh, so you do?" I felt the corner of my mouth pull tight at my lips, "Then I'd suggest you leave me be for a while."

"Sans?" Papyrus turned the corner between the living and dinning room, "Who are you talking to?"

I looked between him and the container in my hands, "No one, Bro." I laughed, shrugging my problems away, "Just considering what to eat."

He watched me closely, able to tell what's bothering me. We have been living with each other for roughly three to four months. I'd be surprised if he couldn't.

"It's just been stressful, lately." I sighed, my head beginning to lower as I proceeded to just stare into the container.

"Yeah..." He gave me a tired response, lowering his head, "I guess it has."

My gaze began to drift, my whole being sinking at the sight of a sad Papyrus, "Do you... want to go out?"

He gave me a skeptical look, "Are you suggesting-"

"No no no no no, not like that." I spoke quickly, trying to fix my mistake, "I-I mean do you want to go outside? We can play in the snow or something."

His eyes slowly began to narrow, showing some doubt before the expression began to soften, "I.. guess so."

"Alright." I put the pasta back in the fridge, "Go ahead. I'll catch up with you in a bit."

He left the room to prepare, leaving me alone with the demon he knew nothing of.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" I laughed, tapping my covered fingers against my waist.

"I still think it's pointless." They sneered, disappearing.

Silence. That a first. Can't believe I forgot what that was like.


End file.
